Top Cow’s A Voice in the Dark is a Creepy, Page-Turning Thriller

Turn on the light if it’s not on already. Check the locks on your door. Okay, you set? NOW, you can sit down and check out Larime Taylor’s skin-crawling creepy series from Top Cow, A Voice in the Dark.

I missed the first two issues of this book, but issue 3 is a relatively early issue to start in on, and it begins the new “Killing Game”storyline. Here’s the info you need: Zoey Aarons is a teenage murderer. And she hasn’t gotten caught yet. She’s stone cold, at least from what I’ve read so far. Think Dexter at 19, but without the Code. She’s not a psychopath. She thinks.

She’s away at college, and was hosting a radio show to deal with the urge to kill by listening to anonymous callers spill their darkest secrets and wishes, until a suicidal caller ends up killing her abusive parents. Zoey takes it in stride, but it’s also loosened up the chain on her inner monster, and she wants to kill again. Is she going to do it?

This book is so well-written, and so creepy in its normalcy, that I could not put it down. It’s in a stark black and white, which adds to the chilling atmosphere. Zoey’s waiting for someone to see through her mask, and so are we. Zoey’s appetite to kill is rising, and our skin crawls in anticipation, because we know she’s going to do it. This quiet little book has just earned itself a spot in my pull list, because I need to know how this plays out.

Larime Taylor writes and draws this title, which is nothing short of AMAZING. Why? Because he draws with his mouth. His mouth, people. He’s a disabled artist who constructs a strong, psychological thriller and creates his artwork by using economical design plus emphasis where he needs it. Look at the artwork. He concentrates on his characters, leaving the background simple and somewhat faded, so as not to detract from what he wants you to see. If he wants you to see the restaurant, you’ll see the tables, the decorative vase, and the silverware. If he wants to show his character set against her environment, you’ll see the outlines of the cars in the parking lot, but his character is where your eye goes, because she stands out – she wants you to see her.

5/5 for the potential this story brings to the table. This issue hit shelves last week, so you may want to check the shelves or ask your comic book store to order you a copy. The book is also available on Comixology. Larime Taylor’s got his own webpage, with a store, where he sells issues of A Voice in the Dark and offers information about commissions.

About Author

Rosemary Kiladitis is a children’s librarian, a mom, and a proud fangirl/nerdgirl. She did her homework while watching reruns of the 1966 Batman series, which led to her longstanding relationship with the Bat, and she’s pretty sure that Barbara Gordon is the real reason she went to library school. She loves superheroes, supervillains, and is secretly married to Hellboy. Or Loki. She can’t remember, but it’s one of them. Roe blogs about children’s and teen books at http://roespot.blogspot.com, and you can read her 140 character ramblings on twitter @RoeSolo.

2 Comments

This sounds like a spine-tingling thriller! I love books that keep you up reading all night long! Thanks for the review. Have you heard of the book, “Chasing A Miracle” by author Eliot Hartford Bailey? http://eliothbailey.com/ It also is an edge of your seat kind of book. I just finished it and I highly recommend reading it! It has a little bit of everything – Action, adventure, conspiracy, religion, drama, love, government, travel, sci-fi. It is the first book in a trilogy that will only get stronger as it progresses!